In a Handful of Dust
by Irrellavant
Summary: LVHP: Harry Potter always assumed the prophecy meant the war would end in death. Voldemort has other ideas, and Harry learns that not everything is as it seems. AU Marriage!fic.


**A/N: This is AU from the end of HBP. All you need to know right now is that Dumbledore is still alive, and if you didn't get it from the summary, this will be slash between Voldemort and Harry, so if that's not your cup of tea you should avoid this. That being said, the romance will be slow-building and this story is never going to be some fluffy love story. I don't really have a good way to transition into the disclaimer, so I'll just go for it: I don't own Harry Potter, or any of the characters, etc. etc. This is unbeta'd, so all of my mistakes are my own; if you find any, sorry! It's 3 AM and I really wanted to get this up tonight. :)**

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_In a Handful of Dust_

**Prologue**

It was beautiful the day the world ended. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had packed a picnic and found a secluded field not far from the Burrow. Though it had only been a week since Mad-Eye had died and George had lost his ear, the trauma of the events were momentarily forgotten, replaced by sunshine, laughter, and talks of a Quidditch game later. Hermione had, of course, objected at first, insisting that they should be doing all the preparing they could before they had to leave, but Ron's pleading looks had eventually won her over. Even she couldn't deny that a day spent forgetting about the upcoming war wasn't a bad idea.

And so, for the first time in what felt like years, Harry Potter felt his age. This was what teenager were supposed to be doing instead of fighting wars, after all – at least, according to the muggle TV shows he had sometimes watched when the Dursleys were out. Watching Ron and Hermione bicker, and feeling Ginny lounging just a little closer to him than a friend would, he couldn't keep the smile off of his face. He felt like he was a first year again, enthralled by the mere idea of having friends and completely ignorant of the danger that lay ahead. He was so relaxed, in fact, that he didn't notice Remus Lupin's arrival until the man nearly tripped over him.

"Harry, there you are!" Lupin's voice was sharp, though he looked even more tired than usual.

"Professor Lupin, has something happened?" Hermione asked, immediately jumping up and walking over. Harry knew he should get up too, but he wanted to savor the carefree feeling just a moment longer. Perhaps if he closed his eyes again he could ignore the urgency in Lupin's tone.

"No, Hermione," he heard Lupin sigh, "Not yet. Harry, I need you to come with me to Hogwarts. Now. The rest of you can stay here, we shouldn't be too long." Reluctantly, Harry dragged himself to his feet and faced Lupin. He looked nervous, slightly angry even, and couldn't seem to look Harry in the eye. "You don't mind Side-Along Apparating, I hope," he said quickly, offering his arm. Harry took it, but before he could respond, they disappeared with a crack, and he found himself just outside the grounds of Hogwarts. He waited for the warm feeling of coming home to fill him, but for the first time there was nothing; for some reason, all he could sense was dread.

"Professor, why are we here?"

"Remus, Harry," Lupin told him gently, "and you'll find out in a minute. Dumbledore is waiting for us." With no further explanation, he led Harry into the castle and didn't pause until they were outside of the headmaster's office. "Look, Harry, I just want you to know that I don't like this, but it seems to be the best way," he said quietly, his tone serious. "Please keep an open mind, but I want you to know that I'll support you no matter what you decide." Harry blinked, confused. Decide what? Did Dumbledore want someone else to take over the search for the Horcruxes, perhaps? But Lupin didn't know about them, did he? Maybe he wanted Harry to go alone, and leave Ron and Hermione behind? Surely he knew, though, that Harry wanted more than anything to keep his friends out of danger. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Lupin opened the door, and he hesitantly walked inside. Then immediately tried to back out.

"What is he doing here?" Harry shouted, unable to keep the anger out of his voice. A smug-looking Lucius Malfoy was standing beside Dumbledore holding a long, official piece of parchment. His smirk widened at Harry's outburst.

"I know I can't expect manners out of you, Potter, but today you should be _glad_ I'm here," Lucius sneered. Harry opened his mouth to object, but Dumbledore raised a hand to stop him.

"Lucius is here peacefully today, Harry," he said quietly. "Perhaps you should sit down, as we have some important matters to discuss." With a final glare at Lucius, Harry sank into one of the chairs across from Dumbledore, next to Lupin.

"Has Voldemort finally realized he can't win, then?" Harry asked, and Dumbledore revealed a thin smile, ignoring the elder Malfoy's snarl at the use of his master's name.

"Not quite, my boy, but you're not entirely wrong. Lord Voldemort has proposed a truce. An agreement between the two sides, if you will." Harry couldn't keep the shock off his face. A truce? Voldemort hardly seemed like the type to compromise with anyone, let alone his enemies. "He has vowed to cease the killings of muggles and muggle-borns if we will cede the Ministry to him. After some negotiation, he has also agreed to allow current Light politicians to stay on as advisors, and they will have a say in what laws are passed and carried out. In return, we will stop fighting against the Death Eaters and accept Voldemort's rule," Dumbledore explained, but the expression on his face told Harry that there was more to the deal.

"Is that all? What about the prophecy?" Harry had the sinking feeling that he didn't actually want to know the answer.

It was Remus who answered, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder that seemed to be intended to keep him in place as much as to comfort. "Voldemort believes he has found a way to void the prophecy," he stated, hesitantly, "but it involves a soul bond."

"A _what?_" Harry exclaimed, his heart racing. He hadn't heard the term before, but it certainly didn't sound like anything he wanted a part of.

"You could compare it to marriage, but it's much more complex. Your souls, and your magic, will literally become entwined together. They're not performed often now, but back when we had monarchs they were often used to unite two countries. Once you're bonded, you're together for life," Remus replied, and his tone was apologetic. "You cannot be bonded without your consent, though, which is why we are here. You must enter into the bond of your own free will, _and,_" he paused, shooting a stern look at both Dumbledore and Malfoy, "nobody will force you to agree."

"There's no way. Absolutely not. Marry Voldemort, are you out of your _minds_? He wants to _kill_ me, and quite frankly I'd rather die than be married to that snake-faced bastard. He killed my parents!" Harry jumped out of his chair and backed towards the door, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. He couldn't breathe, and the world seemed to be spinning around him. Had it really only been an hour ago that he had lounged in the grass with his friends, forgetting all the troubles that plagued him? This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to kill Voldemort, finish school, and marry Ginny. Ginny, who had looked so beautiful today with the sun in her hair, Ginny, who should always be that carefree… what would he tell her?

"Voldemort will not harm you if you agree to this, Harry. And once the ceremony is over, the bond will largely be a formality. You will not have to be a traditional married couple," Dumbledore said quietly. For a moment, Harry thought he saw his eyes twinkle, but then realized they were glassy with tears. Suddenly, he couldn't take his eyes off of Dumbledore's mangled hand. After all he had gone through to fight Voldemort, he couldn't be taking this lightly.

And what about his friends? They'd given up a lot, too, suffered because of the war. George had lost his ear, Nagini had attacked Mr. Weasley, Ginny had nearly _died_ in the Chamber… The Weasleys had been through enough, certainly. Everyone had. He was tired of all the death, tired of watching people he cared about and admired lay their lives down to fight. Sirius, his parents… they would be alive if it hadn't been for all the fighting.

"The killings will stop?" Harry asked, and taking a deep breath, he sat back down. "How do I know he'll keep his word? I want assurance that my friends will be safe, and everyone else… I want to know that he'll rule fairly."

"The treaty will serve as an Unbreakable Vow. Anyone who breaks their part of the agreement will die," Lucius said, and handed the parchment to Harry for his inspection. Everything was there, from the safety of muggle-born's to Harry's own miserable part in the affair. At the bottom were three signatures: Rufus Scrimegour, the current Minister, Albus Dumbledore, and Tom Marvolo Riddle. Only one space was left. For him. Harry reached for a quill to sign, when something just above the signatures caught his eye: _Albus Dumbledore will be recognized as an enemy of the State, and shall suffer due punishment._

"What's this?" he demanded, frowning.

"The headmaster seems to have forgotten something," Lucius murmured, his voice full of malicious delight.

"Ah, yes, I'm afraid Voldemort had one more condition," Dumbledore said, sounding as though he were merely discussing an interesting book. "In order for the treaty to be enacted, I must die."

And just like that, Harry decided, the world had ended.

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**So, I know there are about a million marriage fics out there, but I've had this idea for a while and wanted to flesh it out. My main goal is to keep Harry and Voldemort (and everyone else) as in character as possible, given the situation. Hopefully, I'll end up with a relatively original take on an old idea. Anyway, I'd appreciate any feedback you have - positive or negative. Also, since this is unbeta'd (and posted in the middle of the night, ha,) please point out any mistakes you notice so I can fix them. I won't take offense. :)**


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